Zhi Jing Kwek

What were you doing before you came to study at City St George's?

I was doing my final year of my undergraduate studies in Singapore before I came here for my postgraduate studies at City St George's.

How did you develop an interest in your course and why did you choose to study this course?

I did my Bachelor’s in Linguistics and Multilingual Studies and wanted to pursue a career where I can apply my knowledge and help others at the same time.

That was when I learnt about Speech and Language Therapy, after extensive research, I became increasingly interested in the job and what it entailed.

Therefore, I decided to do a master's degree in Speech and Language Therapy.

Why did you choose to study at City St George's?

City St George's has a good reputation for its Speech and Language Therapy course and a diverse range of international students.

That attracted me to enrol at the university.

What has been your favourite thing about studying this course?

This semester, we started our clinical placements, and the experience has been very enlightening so far. I love working with the clients and applying the theory that I have learnt from my lectures in real life situations.

For this block of placements, I have been going to a mainstream primary school and doing intervention sessions with children from around 6 to 11 years old.

What is your favourite thing about studying at City St George's?

The student life at City St George's is very vibrant and I like that the campus is located in the heart of London.

City St George's has so many nice study spots and cafés, both on campus and around the local area, that I can sit at for many hours when I’m studying for an exam.

How have you found the teaching and facilities on your course?

The teaching has been great and the professors have been very helpful and kind - they know their material well and are always open to questions.

The department is equipped with a wide range of facilities that are very conducive to my learning.

I especially like the newer lecture theatres and the library which is open 24 hours during the exam period.

Where have you been on your clinical placements, and what have you enjoyed most about these experiences?

I have been going to a primary school for my clinical placements.

I enjoyed carrying out intervention sessions and interacting with the clients the most as I can apply my knowledge.

Being on placement has also allowed me to learn many important skills with real life experience.

How will these experiences help you with your future career?

Having the experience would be good for my exposure to a myriad of speech and language problems and the ways to assess and support people with those language needs.

Have you overcome any challenges during your studies?

With the many learning hours, placements and assignments, sometimes it feels like there is not enough time to juggle everything, in addition to also having a life outside of schoolwork. I have managed to schedule time to be able to have a good hold of my studies and social life.

What kind of things are you involved in outside of your course?

I am interested in cooking and playing sports. I have been trying out many new and exciting recipes at home in my free time, as well as joining the social sports sessions that are offered at CitySport.

I mainly go for the volleyball sessions and have made many new friends from participating in the sessions as well.

What do you plan to do after you graduate?

I am looking forward to working as a fully qualified Speech and Language Therapist in either a hospital or a school.

What would be your advice to anyone considering studying this course?

Ask yourself if you’re ready and passionate enough about Speech and Language Therapy prior to entering this intense and demanding 2-year course, because it takes quite a lot of dedication and hard work to get through.

Personally, I did plenty of research on what SLT entails and what exactly it is about. I also read some articles and watched videos of SLT sessions taking place before coming to City St George's.